Wallet protector



Nov. 6, 1951 E. w. Du FAULT 2,574,023

' WALLET PROTECTOR Filed Aug. 6. 1948 Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNIT/13o STATES PATENT OFFICE WALLET' PROTECTOR Edmund W.,Du Fault, WollastomMass.

Application August 6, 1948', SerialNo. 42,964

(Cl. 24e-3),

This-'invention relatesto: new and useful improvements and structural relinements in protectors for wallets, bill folds, or the like, such= as are usually carried in pockets` of garments, and the principal object ofthe-invention is to prevent such articles from being torn -or accidentally lost from the pocket.4

This objectisachieved by the provisionfof a protector which is attachable to the wallet, etc., and .which includes a pair Aof laterally projectible keeper bars, the latter being engageablewith the sides of the pocket so that the article is fric,- tionally retained in position..

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision offmeans'for attaching the protector to the article which is to be protected thereby.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for resiliently urging the keeper bars in engagement with the pocket, and additional means for releasably retaining; the keeper bars in a retracted. position during the insertion and withdrawal Vof the.` article in. and

' from the pocket.

An important advantage of the inventionlies in its simplicity of construction, in its pleasing appearance, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects in View, and such other objects as may become apparent as this specication proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a billfold showing `the invention in association therewith;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the invention, illustrating a billfold in phantom lines;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the invention with the keeper bars thereof projected;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view, similar to that shown in Figure 3, but showing the keeper bars in their retracted position;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 4, and;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 6-6 in Figure 5.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views. e

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of a protector 2 designated generally by the reference character It, such as may be conveniently employed in association with a wallet, billfold, or the like, inolicatedA at I2.

The protector II) embodies in its construction a flattened tubular housing I4 provided with open ends and longitudinally arcuated, asV is best shown in Figures 2 and 5.

A pair of arcuate keeper bars I6, slidabl'e in y the housing I4, are projectible and'retractible through the open ends thereof, the projected' and retracted positions of the bars being illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 respectively. It is to be ob-V served that the outer ends of the bars I6 terminate in substantially tubularl portions I8, while intermediate portions-i of' the bars are reducedl in width, as indicated at` 201 An elongated lever 22, conrlgurated substantially as shown and terminating at its ends in a pair of hooks 24', is pivotally mounted in the housing I4 between the bars I6 by means of a pin or rivet 26, the lever 22 also being equipped with a-n actuating knob` 28 which is externally manipulable through the medium of an opening 30 with which the housingVv I4 is provided.

The inner end portions of the aforementioned keeper bars I6 are formed with hook shaped locking recesses 30 with which the hooks 24 of the lever 22 are engageable when the keeper bars are retracted, as illustrated in Figure 4. It is to be noted that the hooks 24 as well as the recesses 3B are formed with rounded edges which guide the hooks into the recesses when the keeper bars are pushed inwardly in. the housing I4, and a resilient rod 32 is employed for urging the hooks 24 into a locked position in the recesses. The rod 32 is anchored at one end thereof, to a pin 34 provided in the housing I 4, the remaining end portion of the rod engaging a struck out detent 36 of the lever 22, as will be clearly apparent.

A pair of compression springs 38 are also provided in the housing I4, each of these springs being disposed in the sectionally reduced portion 20 of one of the bars I6 and matters being so arranged that thesprings urge the bars IS to their outwardly projected positions, as shown in Figure 3. Suitable stops 40 are provided in the end portions of the housing I4, which stops not only provide points of abutment for the springs 33, but also serve as stops for the outward sliding movement of the bars I6.

The entire protector is secured to the wallet, or the like, I2 by angulating struck out end portions of the housing I4 (on the concave side thereof) so as to form a pair of hook shaped retainers 42 which may engage suitable slots (not shown) provided in the wallet. An arcuate leaf spring 44 is secured by welding, or the like, to the concave side of the housing I4 between the retainers 42, the purpose of this spring being to maintain the retainers 42 in secure engagement with the wallet and also, to retain the wallet in a longitudinally arcuate form, so that the entire assembly corresponds substantially to the curvature of the users body when the wallet and protector are placed in a pocket.

When the invention is placed in use and is attached to the wallet as described, the wallet and protector are inserted in the pocket while the keeper bars I6 are retained in their retracted positions by the lever 22, as shown in Figure 4. Upon placing of the wallet in the pocket, the user simply moves the knob or button 28 through a short distance in the direction of the arrow 46 in Figure 1, so as to disengage the hooks 24 from the recesses 30, thereby permitting the springs 38 to expel the bars I6 to their projected positions, wherein the end portions I8 of the bars frictionally engage the pocket and accidental or unintentional removal of the Wallet from the pocket is preventedA until the bars I6 are manually retracted by being pressed in the housing I4.

When the keeper bars I6 are retracted into the housing I4, the hooks 24 of the lever 22 will automatically engage the locking recesses 30 and will retain the keeper bars in their retracted positions until such time as the button or knob 28 is again actuated.

It is to be noted that the arcuated end portions I8 of the keeper bars are free from sharp edges such as could damage the material of the pocket.

It is believed that-the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A loss protector for wallets and the like, comprising a relatively flat and elongated housing adapted to be secured to one side of a wallet and having open ends, a pair of vco-planar keeper bars slidable in and projectable outwardly from opposite end portions of said housing, resilient means for sliding said bars outwardly to their projected positions, said bars having spaced opposing inner end portions provided with locking recesses open at the inner end edges of the bars, an elongated latch member pivoted intermediate the ends thereof in said housing and extending longitudinally between said keeper bars, opposite end portions of said member aording a pair of locking hooks receivable simultaneously in said recesses whereby said keeper members may be locked in their retracted positions, an intermediate portion of said housing being provided with an aperture offset from the pivot of said latch member, and an actuating knob provided on said latch member and disposed in said aperture, said aperture being of a size whereby to permit lateral shifting of said knob and whereby to fully accommodate the knob so that the latter does not project beyond the outer surface of said housing.

EDMUND W. DU FAULT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 796,490` Baker Aug. 8, 1905A 1,115,703 Mardarasz Nov. 3, 1914 1,172,482 Perkins Feb. 22, 1916 1,610,382 Jeiries Dec. 14, 1926 2,129,018 Martini Sept. 6, 1938 

